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Ormus
Ormus is an ancient religion that originated on Lost Jerusalem, founded by Wilhelm. Wilhelm claims it began "from the death of the man Ormus worships as their Lord." The organization is one of the main antagonistic groups in Xenosaga and arguably the main antagonistic force of the series. Because it isn't known to the public, Ormus can be considered a secret society. However, there are implications that Ormus has two sides; a public side which has public churches (which Sharon Rozas was a part of) and a public papacy, and a darker side full of secrets. The public side doesn't know the name of Ormus, explaining why Jin Uzuki, who is interested in religion, says, "Ormus... so that's the real name of your organization." in Episode II. It is also heavily implied that the Immigrant Fleet is the public side of Ormus. Ormus' symbol appears to be an upside down Cross of St. Peter, with an elm tree. Beliefs Members of Ormus seem to follow a blend of Gnostic Christianity and Catholicism. The Episode III database entry for "Ormus" says it has an organizational structure resembling the Vatican of the Middle Ages. Ormus has their own "holy book" which they use as the foundation for their beliefs, seeing them as the "verbatim and divinely inspired word of God". Followers of Ormus see planet Michtam has the birthplace of Ormus, and believed that their true purpose was to return to Lost Jerusalem. They believe that the Zohar is an artifact of divine intervention, and by collecting the Relics of God, such as the Zohar and Zarathustra, and returning these relics to their "proper form", they can go to Lost Jerusalem, which they believe and revere as their "holy fatherland". History Sergius claims that Ormus has existed before the crucifixion of the messiah, meaning Ormus is over 6000 years old, and that they have been the guardians of the Zohar since recorded history. In turn, they use it in any way they see fit. Officially, Ormus was born from the death of Jesus, in order to convey his existence to coming generations, but its true purpose was to manage the "words" he passed on: Lemegeton. Ormus also existed to obtain and protect the artifacts of God. They were the first to leave Lost Jerusalem via the Immigrant Fleet shortly before its downfall. Their immigration ship was named Pleroma, and they named an asteroid base after it. The Pleroma asteroid base was a place of worship used by Ormus, although it was eventually abandoned and remained uninhabited for centuries. Ormus then settled on planet Abraxas, which would later be re-named Michtam in T.C. 4667. The people of the Immigrant Fleet are all of a special bloodline, and were once known as the People of Zohar. Ormus uses a series of dummy corporations to extend its influence across the known universe. It serves as the core of the Immigrant Fleet, and also seizes control over the U-TIC Organization as a secret military arm after the Miltian Conflict. After the Miltian Conflict, Ormus continues to lust for the original Zohar on Old Miltia. Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse In Episode II, the Patriarch Sergius XVII, leader of Ormus and the Immigrant Fleet, spearheads the operation to recover the Original Zohar and summon Proto Omega and the Omega System from the ruins of Old Miltia. Everything that Ormus' fronts did during Episode I and early Episode II culminated in this mission. The Patriarch planned on destroying the Gnosis with Proto Omega and ultimately place the entire star cluster under the jurisdiction of Ormus. Ormus' military organization, U-TIC, designed Proto Omega and the Omega System. However, fourteen years prior to Episode I, the system was sealed away with Old Miltia before the Patriarch could use it. Although he is on the edge of re-establishing his plan, the Patriarch is betrayed by Margulis and Heinlein. They abandon him on the Omega System, where he is killed by Wilhelm's Testaments. Proto Omega and the Omega System are destroyed, and the Original Zohar is sucked into Abel's Ark at the end of Episode II. In reality, the entire plan to seize the Zohar was just to bring Abel's Ark into this dimension with the help of Albedo Piazzolla and the recovery of the Zohar. After Margulis betrays the Patriarch while working under Heinlein's orders, it makes Heinlein the highest ranking Cardinal in Ormus. In reality, Heinlein had all the true power in Ormus. It is clear that Ormus and all of its fronts are involved in the web of deception surrounding the Original Zohar, as Jin Uzuki pointed out in Episode II. Hyams Group, led by Heinlein himself (later to be revealed as Wilhelm), is also revealed to be the military supplier and major financial supporter of Ormus and its arms. Furthermore, despite his hatred of the U-TIC front, Dmitri Yuriev and his institute have connections to Ormus based on the fact that Hyams, the same group that funds Ormus, established it. Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra In Episode III, Wilhelm reveals his true purpose for founding Ormus was to protect Lemegeton, also known as the "Word of Yeshua", that was left behind by a man who died thousands of years ago. However, according to Wilhelm, the man Ormus worshiped did not understand Lemegeton, because only chaos could understand it. Wilhelm also established Ormus in order to protect "The Word and Relics of God", such as Zarathustra and Merkabah. as well as "the place necessary for Eternal Recurrence". These two places were Rennes-le-Château, which was necessary for Mary Magdalene's revival, and planet Michtam. Members :See Ormus members category. Inquisitors Inquisitors are a group aligned with the Special Missions Office of the Ormus Department of Absolutions. Despite being part of a department, the group is practically independent from the Curia. It handles the guarding of holy relics (like the Zohar and Vessels of Anima) and the judgement of heretics; by the T.C. 4600s, it had grown to a group with military power practically equivalent to a Galaxy Federation fleet. The group naturally holds a singular position within the religious organization, and the Cardinal that leads it is said to have verbal clout and influence that rivals the Patriarch. The Inquisitors retain two sets of hierarchical ranks: one for its activities as a military group, and another for within Ormus. Special ranks within Ormus include Chief Inquisitor, Chief Soldier-Priest, and High Priest. It holds close ties with the Department of Sacraments, which carries out research on relics. Etymology Ormus is one of the names given to the supreme Zoroastrian god, Ahura Mazda, who represents truth and goodness. The physical world was created by Ahura Mazda as a place to battle against Ahriman, the spirit of evil. Ormus was also the name of a former kingdom that spanned the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and this kingdom was also named after Ahura Mazda. According to the book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, Ormus is a subtitle used by the Prieuré de Sion (Priory of Sion), the group that is supposedly responsible for the creation of the Knights Templar. Trivia * An Ormus cathedral is located in the center of the asteroid Pleroma, which is briefly seen in Episode I. This is subtle foreshadowing of Ormus. * They can be compared to the Ethos from Xenogears, although Ormus has a definite Christianity slant while the Ethos is more ambiguous when it comes to having Christian origins. * According to a database in Episode III regarding the relationship between Ormus and the Immigrant Fleet: "The Immigrant Fleet is mostly perceived as identical to Ormus, but this is not always true. The influence of Ormus doctrine has been diluted among some Immigrant Fleet splinter groups, and many have begun their own form of self-rule. These groups have advanced a policy of reconciliation with the Federation, and they would later join the Federation organization. It would appear that the Immigrant Fleet does not consist entirely of pious worshipers swearing allegiance to Ormus." Gallery Cathedral1.png|An Ormus cathedral on Pleroma. Cathedral2.png|An Ormus cathedral on Pleroma. FebChurch.png|Febronia's Ormus church. Statue.png|Ormus statues. 113OrmusCarrier.png|Ormus Carrier. 114OrmusEscort.png|Ormus Escort. 115OrmusCruiser.png|Ormus Cruiser. 116OrmusGunship.png|Ormus Gunship. 117OrmusWarship.png|Ormus Warship. OrmusFleet.png|Ormus fleet. Category:Organizations